Many questions to be answered at IRL's Grand Prix of Miami opener

By
Autoweek

Feb 28, 2002

The weeks of waiting and wondering are nearly over.

Indy Racing League teams have worked during the offseason on every aspect of their programs. Engines. Chassis. Some have added new drivers and crew members. Some are joining the league for the first time. Most have turned hundreds and hundreds of miles of test laps.

Through all that, there still have been questions gnawing away at these teams. And there's only one place where those teams can find answers: The Grand Prix of Miami on Saturday, March 2 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the Indy Racing League's season opener.

Here are a few questions that could be answered in Miami.

Can Sam do it again? When Sam Hornish Jr. won this race last year for his second straight win in as many starts, many IRL observers and teammates started to believe that he was capable of winning the series title in just his second IRL season. Hornish did more than win - he dominated. Hornish clinched the title with three wins and 11 top-five finishes in 13 starts. Can Hornish repeat that brilliance this year with Panther Racing and become the first driver in league history to win two straight league championships? He already has sent a message to his rivals, posting the fastest overall lap of 179.803 mph during the Test in the West Feb. 8-9 at Phoenix International Raceway.

How fast will Penske adjust? Marlboro Team Penske, the winningest team in Indy car racing history, will compete in the IRL full time this year with drivers Gil de Ferran and Helio Castroneves. How quickly will the team adapt to racing exclusively on ovals with an equipment package that it's used in only two races? It probably won't take long, if preseason testing is any indication. Two-time CART champion de Ferran and 2001 Indy 500 winner Castroneves were among the fastest drivers each day of the preseason Test in the West Feb. 6-9 at California Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway.

Is this Eliseo's year? Veteran Eliseo Salazar, a suburban Miami resident, returns to A.J. Foyt Racing for the third year. That familiarity with Foyt's operation could help Salazar contend for his first IRL championship. He finished fifth in the series point standings last season, helped by a third-place finish in Miami.

Who will win the power struggle? General Motors engines have won all five season titles and all but two races since the league introduced its normally aspirated engine formula in 1997. But this could be a breakthrough year for Infiniti, as the manufacturer will have at least four cars using its 35A engine. Infiniti standard bearers Eddie Cheever Jr. and Robbie Buhl return, and promising rookie Laurent Redon will use an Infiniti engine. Cheever also will field a second car for Tomas Scheckter. But Chevrolet is back in Indy car racing starting this year in the IRL, and its powerful engine will be used by nearly every team and showed increased performance during preseason testing.

Which Lazier will be fastest? Buddy Lazier has been dominant in the IRL since the series debuted in 1996. He has a series-record eight career wins with Hemelgarn Racing, including the '96 Indy 500. He won the 2000 series title and finished runnerup last year with a league-record four wins. But Buddy's younger brother, Jaques, will make a run for the title of fastest Lazier this year in his first full season with Team Menard. Jaques Lazier earned a win and pole in just three starts with Team Menard last year and could contend for the IRL title this year. There's little doubt that the Laziers will be the fastest brothers on wheels this year in American racing.

Will Blair and Mo Nunn make a seamless transition? Marlboro Team Penske isn't the only team moving to Indy Racing from CART this year. Blair Racing and Hollywood Mo Nunn Racing also will make their IRL debuts this year. Veteran Alex Barron, who has one career IRL start, will drive for Blair. 2001 rookie of the year Felipe Giaffone will drive for Mo Nunn. How quickly will these teams get up to speed as they adjust to racing full time on ovals with IRL equipment?

Will a rookie win a race? A rookie hasn't won an IRL race since Jim Guthrie stunned the field in 1997 at Phoenix. Can that drought end this year? Rookies entered to compete at Homestead include Rick Treadway with Treadway and Associates Racing, Anthony Lazzaro with Sam Schmidt Motorsports, Laurent Redon with Conquest Racing, George Mack with 310 Racing, Hideki Noda with Convergent Racing and John de Vries with Brayton Racing. Tomas Scheckter has been fast, driving for Eddie Cheever.

Qualifying takes place at 12:30 p.m. March 1, with the race getting underway at 1 p.m. March 2, live on ABC.

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